The Canadian Brothers; Or, The Prophecy Fulfilled: A Tale of the Late American War — CompleteRichardson, Major (John)
History
The Canadian Brothers; Or, The Prophecy Fulfilled: A Tale of the Late American War — Complete
Richardson, Major (John)
United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Fiction; War stories
repaid, the country had reason to rejoice in their flight;
for, having thus declared themselves, there was nothing
now, beyond their open hostility, to apprehend. Not so
with the few who remained. Alike distrusted with those
who had taken a more decided part, it was impossible to
bring any charge home to them, on which to found a plea
for compelling them to quit the country, in imitation of
the example of their fellows. They had taken the oaths
of allegiance to England--and, although ninety-nine had
deliberately violated these, there was no legal cause
for driving forth the hundredth, who still kept the "word
of promise to the ear," however he might break it to the
hope. Not that, on this account, the hundredth was held
to be one whit more honourable or loyal. It was felt and
known, as though it had been written in characters of
fire upon his brow, that if he did not follow in the
steps of his predecessors, it was because his interests,
not his inclination, induced his pursuing an apparently
opposite course. It is true, those who remained were few
in number; but scattered, as they were, over various
isolated parts of the country, this only rendered them
greater objects of suspicion. If the enemy became apprised
of any of our movements, for the successful termination
of which it was necessary they should be kept in ignorance,
it was at once taken for granted their information had
been derived from the traitors Canada had so long nourished
in her bosom; and as several of them were in the practice
of absenting themselves for days in their boats, under
the plea of duck-shooting, or some other equally plausible
pretence, nothing was more easy of accomplishment. Under
these circumstances of doubt, the general secession of
the Yankees, as they were termed, which had first been
regarded as a calamity, was now looked upon as a blessing;
and if regret eventually lingered in the minds even of
those who had been most forward to promote their
introduction into the country, it arose, not because the
many had departed, but because the few remained. That
they were traitors, all believed; but, although narrowly
watched, in no one instance could their treason be traced,
much less established. In the course of time however they
committed themselves in some one way or other, and then
of necessity their only resource was to flee, as their
companions had fled before them, until ultimately few of
their number were left. If Canada has reason to feel
happy in the late war, inasmuch as that war offered a
means of proving her devoted attachment to the Mother
Country, she has no less reason to rejoice in it, as
having been the indirect means of purging her unrepublican
soil of a set of hollow hearted persons, who occupied
the place and enjoyed all the advantages of loyal men.
Should she, failing to profit by the experience of the
past, again tolerate the introduction of citizens of the
United States into her flourishing provinces, when there
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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